U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) predicted that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) investigations into waste, fraud, and abuse in the government’s finances will result in “red faces in Congress” during a testy Tuesday interview with CNN.
Burchett made the remarks after he was repeatedly questioned by CNN’s Pam Brown regarding the data provided to members of DOGE, the presidential commission run by Elon Musk and ordered by President Donald Trump to find and help eliminate government waste and fraudulent spending.
“First of all, Elon Musk, when he owned PayPal, never had a breach in security,” said Burchett, adding that it takes him up to six months to receive a response when questioning the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on behalf of constituents.
“The IRS has hundreds of different groups that have access to this stuff, and yet no one’s complained about that,” said Burchett.
Burchett was then asked by Brown if he is concerned about DOGE members, who are political appointees of the Trump administration, receiving access to government systems typically reserved to career federal bureaucrats.
“The only reason you’d have questions is if you’re doing something crooked, and you’re going to see lots of Congressmen with red faces when they follow this paper trail back to members of Congress, ma’am. That’s the bottom line,” Burchett told the host.
In response to a remark about the age of the DOGE workers, which is reportedly staffed largely by individuals in their early 20s, Burchett pointed to a rifle displayed in his office.
“You’re attacking their youth?” He questioned, before adding, “That’s a Japanese rifle. My dad was 20 or 21 years old when he killed the people that carried that. You all don’t question the fact that these 20 or 22 year old people are the ones that fight our dadgum wars.”
CNN ultimately cut the interview short not long after Burchett referenced Sam Brinton, the Biden administration nuclear expert who was arrested and accused of stealing luggage belonging to female passengers at airports.
In a post to the social media platform X after the CNN appearance, Burchett wrote, “Follow the money.”
Follow the money.
— Rep. Tim Burchett (@RepTimBurchett) February 18, 2025
Burchett was among the eight Republicans selected in January to serve on the House Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, which is meant to interface with DOGE and Elon Musk to make the efficiency commission’s recommendations permanent.
After his appointment, Burchett expressed optimism that DOGE would use a “guns blazing” approach to achieve their mission of slashing government waste.
“There are some huge things going on in our country right now that we need to address. We’ve got a Pentagon that hasn’t passed the audit in the last eight audits. Heck, they don’t even complete the audit. That’s how arrogant they are. We just award them with more money,” said Burchett last month. “We’ve got a Department of Education that, I guarantee you, not one bureaucrat in Washington, D.C. in that multi billion dollar operation who has educated a kid or taught them how to read, write, or do arithmetic in Davidson County, Tennessee.”
Burchett and Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) have since submitted legislation that would terminate the U.S. Department of Education.
Watch the full interview:
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
How much has the US taxpayer spent on funding Trump’s golf outings? Is that actually efficient?
How about Biden taking so many weekly “vacations” to his beach house that he literally was away for 532 days which was almost 40% of his term in office,
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/joe-bidens-vacation-time-equals-48-years-worth-for-average-citizen-6516189
President Trump has done more in four weeks for the betterment of the country than Biden did in four years.
Why do these idiot CNN ‘news’ anchors, or whatever she is, keep carrying water for the crooks we’re trying to root out? Their employers are tanking economically with a mere fraction of past viewers on a good day, so they know their days are numbered. I suppose they’re trying desperately to believe the graft and support they were getting from billionaires will somehow keep coming.
Thanks, Representative Tim Burchett, for so ably representing Tennessee. Happy that you were put on the House Oversight Committee on Delivering Government Efficiency.
All of theses liberal “news commentators” fold like a cheap suit when they are confronted with reality. You would think they would have figured this out by now that America is on the right track. I believe they keep spewing the same old liberal/marxist crap because their globalist handlers instructed them to do it.
Typical from CNN! Lies and their narrative that Orange Man Bad!